One More Once More, The Honky Tonk Swing Album

To legions of hardcore honky tonk fans, Dale Watson is considered, hands down, the reigning king. Uninterested in current trends, he mixes straight ahead Bakersfield with Texas dancehall honky tonk, bringing with him his influences that include Lefty, Merle, Cash and Elvis and he delivers it all with a powerful wallop. On the flip side, Dale’s never made a secret of his admiration of crooners like Dean Martin and Sinatra and the influence they’ve had on him. Always the maverick, Dale plays music that not only pleases his audience, but music that pleases himself. While honky tonk is in his heart and his feet will always be planted firmly in the hardwood of honky tonk dancehall floors, he’s also known to take the occasional detour, veering off now and then to explore his other musical interests. One More Once More is dedicated to the King of Western Swing, Bob Wills. And like Wills, Dale combines equal measures of jazz, blues and lounge-pop with country. Not to worry though, despite being backed by brass, and while his phrasing on several songs has that Dean Martin/Bobby Darin-esque mojo working, Dale can’t help sounding anything but country in the end.